Help Families Fleeing Famine in Somalia

When MADRE first began our work with our sister organization Womankind Kenya to help families fleeing the deadly famine in Somalia, women faced a struggle each day to keep their children alive.

Many sought refuge in camps just over the border in Kenya, only to find that these camps were overcrowded and lacked sufficient resources to help them survive. Many women and children instead settled in nearby villages that were no better off than the refugee camps themselves.

Hubbie Hussein Al-Haji, director of Womankind Kenya worked hard to ensure that these women and children on the outskirts received aid and services. Thanks to your support, Womankind Kenya and MADRE were able to provide 2,700 starving families with water, maize, beans, cooking oil and calorie-dense food to combat severe malnutrition and hunger and save lives. Additionally, thanks to you, refugee families were provided with health kits that contained medicines to fight deadly diarrhea and infections, and oral rehydration salts to stave off dehydration. Thank you for supporting this vital, lifesaving work!

MADRE is still standing with our sisters in East Africa for the long haul. We’re reprioritizing our work to focus on long-term solutions, so that local communities, including refugee families, have life-sustaining medical care for themselves and their families.

Click here to learn more about MADRE’s projects with women and families on GlobalGiving and how you can get involved.

We first shared with you the story of Halima, a widow with six children in March 2012, when she was struggling to feed her hungry family in famine-affected northeast Kenya. Our local partners, Womankind Kenya, recently spoke with Halima and passed along an update on her and her family. We’d like to share that update with you now:

Halima asked Womankind Kenya to convey her thanks to MADRE and all those in the US who supported her family during a difficult time. “I am very happy; my children have food to eat,” she said. “I imagine that you were sent to save my children who had nothing to eat for many days. It was painful to watch my children succumb to hunger, but I am glad you have rescued the situation and my children will be safe. Thank you.”

With your support, we can really be there for women and families affected by war and disaster. Thank you for supporting this life-saving work!

Since 2011, MADRE and Womankind Kenya have been hard at work providing emergency food aid and medical assistance to women and families most affected by the devastating drought and famine. We are happy to announce that Hubbie Hussein Al Hajj, director and founding member of Womankind Kenya has recently been recognized for her hard work. Earlier this month, she was nominated to the Executive Committee of Garissa County in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock! Reflecting on Hubbie’s nomination, Womankind Kenya stated: “[Hubbie’s nomination] speaks volumes for womankind, [and] tells us that [our] efforts and work is recognized even by the political leadership.” Many congratulations to Hubbie!

Together, MADRE and Womankind Kenya are continuing our work in the region, bringing mobile health clinics to Garissa County’s most vulnerable people, giving women and families affected by the famine access to health care. We look forward to bringing your more updates soon!

Our partners at Womankind Kenya are hard at work to bring mobile clinics and medical outreach to the rural populations of Garissa Country hard hit by the famine. In Garissa County, access to health information and services are extremely limited. As families are struggling to meet their basic human needs of food and water, health conditions are deteriorating. Cases of malaria and malnutrition are rising. These health concerns are particularly true for women, who are overwhelmingly responsible for collecting food and water for their families. With famine and drought, women have had to walk increasingly far distances in search of water and food for their families, compromising their health and hygiene.

With our local partners Womankind Kenya, MADRE is working to reduce clinical and nutritional ailments in Garissa Country through the creation of a mobile health clinic. Medical units will travel to rural populations in Garissa County to provide medication to treat malaria and typhoid as well as supplementary feeding to curb malnutrition. Medical staff will also host health workshops to increase awareness on prevention and treatment of common ailments, hygiene and sanitation.

We look forward to bringing you more updates on the mobile health clinics in Garissa County soon!

Hubbie Hussein Al-Haji, leader of Womankind Kenya, recently shared with us a message of thanks from one mother living in the refugee camps of Northern Kenya. We'd like to share her message with you today:

"My young son and I arrived in a refugee camp in Kenya after fleeing famine in Somalia. We lost everything, but I was grateful to still have my child. I saw many mothers burying their children, lost to starvation, on the long walk here. But even at the camp, there was still not enough food. I didn't eat so that my son could eat, and yet he grew weaker. But Womankind Kenya saved him. They gave us food and medicine. We still struggle, but as long as we are alive, with your help, I and other mothers can hope. And that also sustains us. Thank you."

About Project Reports

Project Reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.